A place to (re)fresh, (re)purpose and find some (re)tail

Tag Archives: furniture paint

I have big dreams- and sometimes in my excitement to fulfill them I rush into activity. But wisdom (and I guess I am getting to the age where this word is now part of my vocabulary) tells me that slow and steady trumps instant and rushed.

Here is one of my dreams: One day, I hope to have a community space where I can share my love of creating and recreating- visions of workshops, retreats and people working on their dreams together- my little ‘ole heart just starts a-beating!

But for now, I am preparing.. and refining.

Part of this process is found in my garage – a small workspace carved out between my stored boxes of books and camping gear. And here I get to create beautiful things for beautiful people.

This handsome nightstand, while small in stature, makes a big statement. It reminds me of a suave gentleman, dressed out in his best white uniform. (Can you see it too?)

This sat for some time, dejected in my garage, a lone piece that accompanied a set I had purchased.

With handles missing and scars born in the many moves by its previous owners who were in military service, a little attention was needed.

One day, a friend spotted this nightstand, standing under dust in the corner and asked me to bring it to life for her new home. Now I think of it as an officer and a gentleman.

I didn’t have to work wonders on this piece – it was well made. But I did have to do some cosmetic work and I was asked to give it a mildly distressed off white finish.

The new black handle pulls were just the thing to finish of his sophisticated look.

He now serves faithfully in my friend’s beautiful room- chivalry at its best 😉Follow my blog to keep up to date on all my latest adventures. – and don’t forget to leave feedback! I would love to know what you think

I have nothing against the early 80’s, I promise! I loved big hair, cassette tapes and the Cosby Show. And while big hair may make a comeback, there are just a few things from the 80’s that could use a little updating.

This handsome guy was found in a sweet little shop while browsing with a friend. There wasn’t anything wrong with it. It just needed a little something.

Functionally, it was exactly what I wanted. A nice surface for a lamp and a book? Check! Drawer? Check! A place to stack some necessities for guest room residents? Check!
Now it need just a little (re) freshing!

After taping off the top, I lightly sanded the sides, shelves and drawer front. I whipped up some of my favorite diy chalk paint in an ecru color and painted away. (I know it is all over the Internet, but I love the way chalk paint finishes! Soo smoooth!)

While this looked good, I wanted a subtle nod to age. So, bravely I grabbed a wide brush, a can of walnut stain and a clean rag. Ever so softly dry brushing the stain, then wiping it a bit with the clean rag produced an aged look that kept it from screaming “Look at me! I just got a fresh coat of paint!”

A soft distressing of the edges revealed the darker first layer and added some great depth.

I then took the same walnut stain and overstained the light sanded top. It deepened the color nicely.

A coat of clear finishing wax buffed to a shine and a new brushed copper pull and that little nightstand became my favorite faithful bedside companion.